What would the religion be like if the Apostle Paul had never lived?

"Judaism, not a religion open to all peoples." False. Judaism in the time of Paul and Jesus was famously open to all peoples. Beyond the Gentile "God-fearers" attached to synagogues, philosophically Jews claimed that since their God created the world and human beings, then Judaism, to reflect God's universality, must also be universal. Judaism welcomed Gentile proselytes, the aforementioned God-fearers, and had a category for "righteous Gentiles" who were attached to Judaism thru practicing the so-called Noahide Covenant. According to Acts, James, Jesus' brother and leader of the church, told Paul that Gentiles could convert to Jewish Christianity without circumcision and full Torah observance: rather, following the Noahide rules would be enough for them. Thus did "intertestamental" Judaism - as well as the Jewish sectarian Jesus movement - remain open to all peoples.

There would have been someone else if Paul hadn't been there. God wanted Christianity to become universal, not tied to Judaism and the Old Covenant. Paul's mission was to spread the Word to the gentiles. As a Hellenized Jew, Paul had his feet in both cultures, Jewish and Greek. (The Greeks at the time were the known world's where-it's-at culture) This was something the Apostles weren't as familiar with, coming from small towns in Judea. Therefore Paul was an ideal bridge for bringing Christianity to the gentiles.

It is totally believable that Christianity would look entirely different without Paul's influence. I would guess that the gnostic Christian movement may have had a much more important role without Paul. Though without a drive to develop a structure or a concrete and dogmatic organization form - who knows how many splintered Christianities would have occurred if at all.

Christianity Without Paul Paul was merely a messenger, God would have found someone else to spread the same message Christianity is not Paul's fabrication or interpretation but again it is spiritually that one gets such truth arguments and counterarguments will not change anyone's mind

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